skill-creator

name	skill-creator
description	Comprehensive guide for creating effective skills. Use this skill when asked to create, modify, or package a new skill for the agent system. It provides the exact file structure, principles, and steps for creating a high-quality skill.

Skill Creator

This skill provides guidance for creating effective skills in the agent platform.

About Skills

Skills are modular, self-contained packages that extend the agent's capabilities by providing specialized knowledge, workflows, and tools. They transform the agent from a general-purpose assistant into a specialized entity equipped with procedural knowledge.

Core Principles

Anatomy of a Skill

Every skill consists of a required SKILL.md file and optional bundled resources, located within backend/src/app/skills/<skill-name>/:

<skill-name>/
├── SKILL.md (required)
│   ├── YAML frontmatter metadata (name, description keys are required)
│   └── Markdown instructions
└── Bundled Resources (optional, e.g. prompt templates)

The SKILL.md MUST contain YAML frontmatter exactly like this at the very top:

---
name: your-skill-name
description: Clear description of what the skill does and EXACTLY when it should be triggered.
---

Progressive Disclosure Design Principle

Skills use a loading system to manage context efficiently:

1. Metadata (name + description) is extracted and used for routing/matching.
2. SKILL.md body is loaded when the skill actually triggers.

Key principle: Keep SKILL.md body concise. If a skill supports multiple complex variations, refer to the other best practices (like splitting out references if supported by the loader).

Concise is Key

Only add context the agent doesn't already have. Challenge each piece of information: "Does the agent really need this explanation?"

Skill Creation Process

Skill creation involves these steps:

Step 1: Understanding the Skill

Clearly understand concrete examples of how the skill will be used. What operations should it support? What triggers it?

Step 2: Planning the Skill Contents

Analyze the requirements and determine the steps the agent must take to execute the workflow.

Step 3: Implement SKILL.md

Write the YAML frontmatter with name and description.

• description: This is the primary triggering mechanism. Include both what the Skill does and specific triggers/contexts for when to use it. Write instructions for using the skill in Markdown format below the frontmatter. Always use imperative/infinitive form. Do not include extraneous files like README.md.

Step 4: Iterate

After creating the skill directory and SKILL.md, test it by triggering the workflow with a natural language prompt and verifying it activates. Modify the description if it fails to trigger.